Legion of Superheroes Se03Ep07: Illusions
by A-Giant-Fan
Summary: Supergirl's first mission as leader takes her team to Orando, where the Legion of Super-villains and Grimbor are searching for infinite power. When the Dark Circle appears, Karate Kid must protect Brainiac 5 and Princess Projectra from them - as well as the anger she can't control, changing the fate of Orando forever.
1. 01

The large castle reminded Phantom Girl of the old medieval stories her mother used to read to her as a child before bed. She walked through the crowd of higher class Orandans, trying to find her mother. She felt awkward in her white down and with her hair done up in a fancy bun. "How did I manage to lose her again?"

She opened the communication on her flight ring. "Saturn Girl, where are you guys?"

"Right behind you, Tinya." She turned to Saturn Girl and XS in their own gowns and up-dos. "Don't tell me you're uncomfortable."

"I haven't been to a party like this in ages," she admitted, "and never for such serious business."

"I don't get it," XS turned her flight ring on, "tell me again why the Legion of Super-villains would be hiding here on the planet Orando, Brainy."

* * *

Up on the Legion cruiser observing the planet below, Brainiac 5 and Bouncing Boy worked at the console while Supergirl stood behind them at the wheel. "We believe that Esper, Tyr, Hunter and even Grimbor have been spotted here because of this planet's mastery of magic. If Esper can somehow find a way to enhance her powers here, she could become unstoppable."

"I feel like I should be down there," Supergirl told them as Brainy cut the communication off, "shouldn't the leader be in the midst of this dangerous situation? Or am I still not used to this?"

"You will be soon," Bouncing Boy replied, "trust me, it takes time. At least there isn't a Sun-Eater around this time."

He opened a screen in front of them, showing Dawnstar and Karate Kid patrolling the castle. "I can't believe the entire planet looks like it's been trapped in the medieval times," Supergirl commented.

Dawnstar smiled and pressed the button of her hearing device. "What is lacks in technology, Supergirl, it makes up for in the magical arts. Not on Zerox's level, but close. Their specialty is illusions."

"Hm," Supergirl sighed, "well at least it's just the Legion of Super-villains we have to deal with. Nothing too big."

* * *

A large screen opened up on the dark ship. It was the Dark Circle's leader, face covered by the hood. "You have a compliant about how I run my organization, Brainiac 6?"

Brainiac sat on his metal throne, studying her as soldiers moved around behind him, one carrying a large chunk of the kryptonite door. "You have yet to collect Brainiac 5. I am a patient man, but there are some things I long for that must be fulfilled."

"We will retrieve the Brainiac child for you, rest assured," the leader spoke in a monotone voice to him as the ship surveyed Orlando from afar, "and no planet of weakling illusionists will stand in our way."

* * *

 **ILLUSIONS**

"Tinya, there you are!" Phantom Girl's mother approached her and the other girls with a young woman by her side. "It's my great honour to introduce you and your friends to Princess Projectra, heir to the throne of Orando."

She had long purplish-silver hair, beautiful dark eyes and an off-the shoulder long-sleeved indigo gown with a cape. "Lovely to meet you all," she gave them a courtesy, "and I thank you for coming in our time of need. My father, King Voxx, asks that you spend as much time as you need here until this problem has been fixed. We have full faith in your abilities."

"If I may ask, your highness," Saturn Girl asked, "have you heard or seen anything from the Legion of Super-villains or Grimbor the Chainsman lately?"

"I did not," she placed a hand on her chest as though nearly insulted, "I've been far too busy preparing myself for the throne to watch over such villainous garbage."

"Right…"

"Attention, please."

The entire room went silent as everyone turned to the front of the room, where an older man with silver hair and a golden outfit stood. It was King Voxx, and he was looking from face to face as he held his glass up, smiling. "I thank you all for coming. I know that there has been fear spreading throughout Orando with the arrival of these criminals, but rest assured that we have only the best here to deal with their crimes."

The crowds began to clap, save for Princess Projectra. "Tell me," she asked Phantom Girl as the room grew quiet again, "how will you deal with these criminals?"

"We'll apprehend them and send them back to Takron-Galtos."

Her nose twitched. "There are far better ways to make sure criminals never break the law a second time."

Phantom Girl shook her head. "We don't kill."

"…Shame."

"We thank the Legion of Superheroes for arriving here on our humble planet," King Voxx toasted them, "and we hope that this situation will be solved without any further casualties."

 _BOOM!_

The throne and King Voxx vanished in a wave of hot smoke as a huge hole appeared in the wall. "Father!" Projectra ran towards the smoke, only to be smacked away by a long chain. Phantom Girl flew over to her as Grimbor walked into the room. "Sorry, hope I didn't injure your precious face, princess."

"I've got him," XS started to run but immediately tripped in front of President Wazzo, "whoa…okay, first, lose the heels." She took them off and ran around Grimbor in her dress, clearing the smoke as he tried keeping up with her with his chains to no avail. Behind him laid King Voxx.

"Save my father!" Projectra grabbed Phantom Girl's arm. "Please, I don't want to be ruler yet!"

Phantom Girl could see her fear. "Don't worry, we won't let anything happen to him."

* * *

"Dawnstar, Karate Kid, get in there," Supergirl commanded from the cruiser, "Karate Kid, get Princess Projectra out of there! Saturn Girl, get the location of the Legion of Super-villains from Grimbor's mind! The rest of you, take him down and get those people out of there!"

"On it," Phantom Girl answered as they watched on the screen, the chaos unfolding, "Karate Kid, over here!"

"So it's begun," Bouncing Boy frowned, "so the question remains – where is the Legion of Super-villains?"

 **I read that in the third season the creators of the cartoon were hoping to include Princess Projectra, so I thought, what the heck, let's put an episode towards her and Orando, one of the coolest planets of the thirty-first century! Her powers were always cool to read about in the comics, and her strong headed attitude will be a great addition to the episode.**

 **Until the next chapter!**


	2. 02

Karate Kid grabbed Princess Projectra and flew out of the castle with Dawnstar as Grimbor approached Phantom Girl. "Let's move to the next building."

"What about my father?!"

"We'll keep him safe," Dawnstar assured her, "but our main concern right now is keeping _you_ safe, your highness."

"Karate Kid, Orando is in a panic now," Supergirl told him through his ear piece, "bring Princess Projectra up to the ship where she'll be out of the Legion of Super-villains' reach."

"You're taking me away from my people? I can't go," Projectra tried to reason with them as they flew her away, "I should be down there!"

"For now we'll regroup, your highness," Karate Kid said, gazing at her kindly, "you'll be home soon, I promise."

"…So many promises…"

* * *

Grimbor finally managed to get a hit on XS, sending her down beside the king as he groaned and sat up. "You! One of the villains!"

"Partially," Grimbor replied as he wrapped XS up in chains, "call it a temporary team up."

Saturn Girl blasted him away with a thought wave, bringing him to his knees as Phantom Girl phased the chains off XS. She stepped up beside him as President Wazzo watched, the crowds dispersing down the halls and out of the castle. "Now, tell me where Esper is."

"Read my mind all you like," he told her as he stood up, "I don't know their exact location. I'm afraid I'm simply here to buy them time, and once this planet is theirs, I'm going to be getting paid for years."

"Your highness," XS helped him to his feet as Saturn Girl dodged his chain whips, "is there any place where a telepath could learn the mastery of illusions quick?"

"The Temple my ancestors built," he told her, "if someone with strong telepathic powers could find their way to the center, they could use our finest crystal bestowed with ancient magic to use our powers."

"…Not good."

Grimbor knocked Saturn Girl aside and whipped Phantom Girl out of the way. "You know too much, Voxx," he pulled a gun out from behind him and shot XS back with a ray of energy, "so we're going to need to have a chat."

He wrapped King Voxx up and put him over his shoulder, but before he could leave XS ran into him, tripping him over as he dropped the King. "No one shoots XS!"

Saturn Girl read his mind, and an image of Esper, Tyr and Hunter running off towards a tall hill on the outskirts of the main city flashed before her eyes. "We're running out of time. They'll be at the Temple sooner than we thought."

"I told you not to bother reading my mind," Grimbor shot her and Phantom Girl down before grabbing XS's ponytail and chucking her against the wall, "now let's go, King." He picked him up and walked out of the castle.

* * *

"You said you'd protect him," Projectra snapped as they watched the castle scene from the Legion cruiser, "now look what's happened!"

"We'll find and save him," Supergirl pointed at her, "but we need you to stay calm and listen to us, understand?"

"You can't speak to me in that tone!"

"I'll speak to you in whatever way I want until we finish this mission. Dawnstar, Bouncing Boy, you're with me. Brainy, you and Karate Kid stay here and watch over Princess Projectra here and survey the damage on Orando. Warn us if anything comes up."

The trio flew out of the main console room as Projectra fumed. "How can she dare to talk to me that way? I'm Princess Projectra, and I won't stand for it!" She stormed out of the room.

"Go after her and make sure she doesn't get herself into trouble," Brainy told Karate Kid, "I'll keep watch from here."

"Understood," Karate Kid followed her out, passing down the hall as she ran off. Brainy returned to the main console, too busy watching the screens to notice something invisible shift by the entrance. _Watching_ him.

* * *

"Stay on Grimbor's trail," Supergirl told Phantom Girl and Saturn Girl through her ring, "we'll go after Esper, Tyr and Hunter at the Temple."

"He's practically ours," Phantom Girl assured her as they cut off communication. Dawnstar led the way towards the Temple. "Once we're in I'll be able to track them, so be sure to stay close."

"If I had to take a guess," Bouncing Boy piped up, "I'd say that Grimbor was released the same way the Legion of Super-villains was – Brainiac hacked into Takron-Galtos and handpicked them to cause a ruckus. For a guy all about order he's pretty good at causing more chaos."

"What Brainiac wants is impossible," Supergirl told them as they landed in front of the Temple, "there can't be eternal order, even if he downloads us all with his digitization process. We're going to have to stop him and do a little reprogramming when this is all over."

The Temple was an amazing sight to behold, a dome of shiny tile with columns surrounding it, various famous Orandans carved into them. As they walked through the entrance they found a large chamber with candles lit and a path through the tables of antiques leading to a stone doorway at the end of the room. "An architectural treasure in itself," Dawnstar admired the workmanship, "we can't allow Esper and the others to ruin this place."

"We won't," Supergirl pounded her fists together, "let's get in there and find them." She opened the stone doors and looked inside. "…Uh…oh, boy…"

"What?" Bouncing Boy and Dawnstar peered over her shoulders and gawked. "What?!"

The doors didn't open into another chamber. They opened right back into the main console room of the Legion cruiser. Brainy turned back to them. "I thought you guys were going to investigate the Temple? What are you doing back here?"

Supergirl closed the doors, waited a few seconds, and then opened them again, but still Brainy looked at them. "…Are you three okay," he smiled, "you look like you've seen a ghost."

 **I'm really hungry and could totally go for some hot dogs right now. In fact, I think I am. Maybe. We'll see. Anyway, yeah, back to talking about the story...ever wonder why so many jokes were made about Brainy eating food, despite him being a robot and not actually eating? Weird...oh, and by the way, BRAINIAC 5 IS NO LONGER ALONE! Dun-dun-dun.**

 **Until the next chapter!**


	3. 03

"Brainy?" Bouncy Boy rubbed his eyes to make sure what he was looking at was real. "How are you…what the…where's the Legion of Super-villains?"

"Not here on the ship," he answered as they walked in, the metal doors of the ship closing behind them, "did you lose them inside the Temple?"

"We're _inside_ the Temple! We opened the doors and found you here!"

"That's strange," Brainy thought for a moment, "…this could be bad. If Esper has already found a way to enhance her powers, she may have created a warping rift in space between the doors of the Temple." He could see Dawnstar blinking. "In other words, every time you try to get further into the Temple, you end up back here."

"I understood that, but…how does the magic of illusions help her power of reading minds to rip apart space?"

"We're not sure how the crystals inside the Temple work yet. I'll have to look through some schematics to know for sure if there are any rift-creating abilities available through Orandan history." He opened files on the console and began to look through. "Wait here until I find the correct equations."

"Schematics? Equations?" Supergirl shrugged. "Fine, just don't ask me to help."

"No need. It shouldn't take too long."

* * *

Karate Kid founds Princess Projectra staring out one of the Legion cruiser's windows into endless space, the stars glimmering through the purple swirls. "I know this isn't what you want, your highness."

She glanced back at him. "…Call me Projectra."

"I cannot."

"You will if you wish to speak to me further."

He smiled and stepped up beside her as she sighed. "My people have felt nothing but fear, living in a world where there is very little advanced technology. We live in the ways of the past, but for us it works. For others…we are seen as an easy target for war. I could never lead us like my father does."

"You have amazing powers, do you not? The ability to create illusions and take control of any landscape over an enemy is one of the greatest tactics in battle."

"I…," she looked away, "I don't fight. If I do, I know that I will give in to the weakness of anger, and I will…let's just say that my enemies would not come out of our fight."

"Control is key, both over your powers and your emotions," he cautiously placed a hand on her shoulder, "trust me. As someone without powers, I know how important it is not to let fear and rage take over your combat style. With time you will find that you will become stronger than you ever thought you could."

Projectra smiled at him and, taking his hand off her, held it by her side. They stood in silence, admiring the view as someone shifted behind them. Someone blending in with the wall, silently observing them.

* * *

"Brainy," Bouncing Boy moaned as he learned back in his chair, "we've been her for _hours_."

"It's been ten minutes, Bouncy, so stop overreacting."

Supergirl played with her hair as she and Dawnstar sat behind Brainiac 5, who continued to search through files. She noticed Dawnstar narrowing her eyes, intensely scanning over Brainy's shoulders. "What's wrong, Dawnstar?"

After a moment of silence Dawnstar jumped up. "I knew it!" Everyone turned to her. "I've been watching those "equations" of yours, Brainy. They're repeating! You're looking at nothing more than a jumbling of letters and numbers!"

Brainy frowned. "You simply don't understand them. What you believe to be a repetition is in reality a-"

"Cut the intellectual babble," she cut him off, "you're not real! This is all an illusion to keep us from getting further into the Temple!"

Supergirl could have smacked herself. "We're losing the Legion of Super-villains! We have to leave, illusionary Brainiac 5!"

"I'm not an illusion and I'll prove it," He opened one of the circuit boards and let out smoke by pulling out some of the wires, "though I really don't appreciate this."

Bouncing Boy sniffed the air. "It smells like the cruiser's oil and smoke! How can an illusion do that?"

Dawnstar gave Supergirl a pleading look. "These illusions mess with not only your vision and hearing, but your sense of smell, too. You have to trust me, Supergirl, please. I know what I'm talking about. I can sense there is something beyond this."

Supergirl turned to Brainy. "…What did I tell you to be under me when I first became Legion leader?"

"…You," he shook his head, trying to remember, "you said…it was…no, wait…," he could see her quickly losing interest, "…fools. I'm only the first test."

"Test?"

Brainy shut his eyes, and when he opened them again they were a dark red. "You will not reach the crystals, nor will the previous intruders."

"He's talking about the Legion of Super-villains," Bouncing Boy moved back beside Dawnstar as a deep smoke circled around Brainy, "so we're all trapped in here?"

Soon everything was surrounded by smoke. Supergirl blew it away with a few big breaths, and they found themselves standing three feet inside a stone tunnel, the stone doors behind them and torches lighting the way forward. "Looks like there's only one way to go now."

"Uh, back out through the doors?"

"No, Bouncy, forward until we find Esper and the others. Dawnstar, lead the way."

Dawnstar flew ahead as they dove deeper in the tunnel. "Let's hope the others are having better luck than we are."

* * *

"Come on," Phantom Girl moaned as she, Saturn Girl and XS roamed around the Orandan city in their gowns, "how fast can Grimbor be, carrying a whole man and all those chains?"

"He's been here longer than us and will know his way around better," XS guessed, "we'll just have to keep our eyes open. Saturn Girl?"

She scanned the crowds they flew over. "I can't sense him anywhere…wait…I've got something!"

"Then we're on the trail once again!" Phantom Girl followed Saturn Girl and XS as they swung around a corner towards a large graveyard in the distance. "…Aw, man."

 **Illusions makes sense for a title now, right? And yes, I'm well aware that in the comics Karate Kid and Princess Projectra were married, so these romantic hints here and there aren't just for show. I like their relationship, and it reminds me of Timber Wolf and Phantom Girl, one person being that calm spot for the other. -Sighs-**

 **Until the next chapter!**


	4. 04

"Way creepy," XS commented as they stepped into the huge graveyard, the city far behind and down below the hill they stood on, "why would Grimbor bring the King here of all places? Besides the thick mist, that is."

It covered their footprints, and it covered anyone else's. "He's close," Saturn Girl warned them, one hand on her head as she scanned the yard, "keep your eyes out."

"Through all this mist? Kind of hard to do."

Phantom Girl hushed them. The sound of digging could be heard through the mist. Carefully she phased out and flew ahead as the other two followed. Once the sound was close enough they hid behind taller graves as Phantom Girl moved closer. She found Grimbor digging out a grave, the King tied to another one beside him as he shoveled dirt out of a deep hole. "Soon enough you'll be dealt with, your highness."

"Saturn Girl," XS whispered out of Grimbor's hearing range, "are you sure we should have left President Wazzo alone? With all these villains around, what if we missed one?"

Saturn Girl nodded. "The people need someone to keep them under control while the King is here. President Wazzo is the only one who can lead them for now."

* * *

"Listen to me, people of Orando!" President Wazzo spoke to the crowds of the streets, hushing them as she stood atop a wooden cart. "I need you to stay calm and follow my orders. The Legion of Superheroes is here and is dealing with the enemies you face, but until they have finished we need you to calmly return to your homes until the problem is fixed."

The people took in every one of her words. She smiled proudly as they began to trickle into their houses. "If only Tinya could see this."

* * *

Phantom Girl moved over beside King Voxx, invisible to both him and Grimbor. She whispered into his ear, and he gave a quick nod. Closing his eyes the mist began to move around them.

"Oi," Grimbor jumped out of the deep grave and dropped his shovel, "I told you not to use your powers, or I will head back to the city and hunt down you people one by one."

"Not happening!" XS rammed into him at full speed, throwing him over the graves and smack into a thick oak tree. He slid to the ground as leaves rained down over his body. When he got up he looked in her direction. "…Unbelievable."

There were now ten XS in front of him, smirking and getting ready to attack. He pulled his chains out and swung at them, but as three disappeared four more walked out from the mist. "Now which do you think is faster," all XS spoke in unison at him, "me, or your heavy metal chains?"

* * *

Karate Kid and Projectra walked into one of the cruiser's rooms and sat down on a bench in front of a window. "We should wait here until the others return."

"You don't mind this? Just sitting here while they fight?"

He gave her another smile. "When one is given a responsibility, no matter how small it seems, that must be considered the greatest task one can do. Keeping you safe is my responsibility, and yours is staying here and waiting for the others to complete their missions."

She stood, and he awed as her dress shifted into a long purple cape and body suit. "I don't really own any dresses," she admitted, "this is much more comfortable. I hope you don't mind."

"Not at all-!" He turned to the door. "…"

"…Is something wrong, Karate Kid?"

"…I," he wondered if it was just his imagination or some kind of paranoia, "thought I heard footsteps right outside the door…" He stepped up to it and tried to slide it open, but it wouldn't budge. "It's been locked from the outside!"

"We're trapped in here?" Projectra looked outside the window and gasped again. "Look, a ship!"

They darted to the window to see a small grey ship. "That is no ordinary ship," he told her, "that belong to the Dark Circle."

"The assassins? Why would they be on this ship? Unless…is someone trying to kill me while I'm away from me people?!"

"That," he grimaced, "or we've made a major mistake leaving Brainy alone."

* * *

"Bouncing Boy, have you found anything yet?"

"Not yet, Brainy," he told him through his flight ring, "this tunnel seems to go on forever, and this time it isn't an illusion."

"Esper can't be too far ahead of you. Keep going and call me back when you find them." He turned the communication off and kept watch of the citizens below on the screens. "President Wazzo seems to have things going quite smoothly down there."

He heard the doors open behind him. "Karate Kid," he turned back to find no one there, "…strange."

The doors closed but he was still alone. "….C.O.M.P.U.T.O, run a scan of this room for any lifeforms."

" **There are currently three life forms in this room**."

Brainy spun around. "I know you're there," he spoke to whoever was close by, "so show yourselves and tell me why you're here."

"Brainy," Karate Kid appeared on his ring, "we have reason to believe the Dark Circle is aboard the cruiser, and they've trapped us in a room near the back of the ship!"

Brainy formed and force field before him and threw it forward. It surged through the room and shoved an invisible assassin against the wall, destroying his camouflage. He then formed a long hand and pinned the assassin up.

"There's another one in here," he told him as he walked over, "tell him to show himself and I'll go easy on you."

The assassin chuckled. "You think they sent amateurs to collect a bounty as big as yours?"

"The bounty," Brainy realized, "I had nearly forgotten-"

A dark glove clamped over his mouth and pinned his arm to his side, freeing the other assassin. "And to think," he leaned into his face, "we not only take you in, but we also get to bring in the heir to the throne of Orando. How kind of you to basically _giftwrap_ her for us."

 **The Dark Circle can sure be creepy when they want. Poor Brainy's got a rich bounty over his head, like a space pirate! Only he's probably not too happy about it...but he could dress up as one for Halloween, right? With an eye patch and all that. I mean, he could...if he survives his encounters with the Dark Circle and can save Projectra and Karate Kid in time.**

 **Until the next chapter!**


	5. 05

Finally the tunnel of the Temple ended in another chamber, and as the legionnaires flew in they could see nothing but ice columns filled with skeletons. "Another illusion," Bouncing Boy shivered, "because it sure doesn't feel like one."

"We can't fall for any more tricks," Dawnstar walked ahead of the others as they curved around the ice, "so whatever you see, remember that it isn't real…even those."

"No way," Supergirl gawked as they came upon three newest ice columns, "the Legion of Super-villains!"

Esper, Tyr and Hunter were frozen in shock behind the icy walls. "We can't leave them like this," Bouncing Boy said, "even if they are our enemies."

"They're not real, Bouncy, merely illusions to slow us down further." Both turned to Supergirl. "But it is the leader's decisions whether we help or not."

"…If they're real, then we'll come back for them," she decided as they left the room, "they won't be harmed by staying here for a little while longer."

Bouncing Boy shrugged and they followed her further into another long tunnel. He glanced back to find the ice melting until there was nothing but an empty chamber. "Good call, you two."

Dawnstar smiled. "I simply want to keep us on track."

 _Whish!_

A large net flew right at them, trapping them underneath it. "More kryptonite," Supergirl could see the green laced into the thick string, "geez, this stuff is everywhere."

"Same with you legionnaires."

"Hunter," Bouncing Boy watched him step up to the net, "so you guys made it."

"Even better," he grinned, "we found the crystals."

* * *

Grimbor was surrounded by ten XS, five Saturn Girl and at least a dozen Phantom Girls. He spun his chains around them, making sure they couldn't come any closer as he moved back. "I know this is nothing but an illusion. I just need to find the real ones and take them out."

"We won't make it that easy," Saturn Girls' eyes glowed and waves of energy hit Grimbor, pushing him to the ground, "not until you're down and out."

Grimbor looked around as the XS ran around him, shielding anything beyond them from his vision. "…!" There a slight shift in the mist behind her. He jumped up and, taking his gun, shot at the shift.

"Ah," the King appeared as the illusions melted away with the mist, "no…my powers have weakened…in my age." He fell to the ground, XS by his side fast. "King Voxx! We need to get him to a doctor, quick!"

"You're the fastest," Phantom Girl replied, "get him out of here!"

XS got him over her shoulder and zipped out of the graveyard, back to the city as Phantom and Saturn Girl faced off against Grimbor. "So fragile," he murmured as he pointed his gun at Saturn Girl, "and soon, so shall you two be."

* * *

"Brainy," Karate Kid tried to contact him through his ring but there was no response, "that is not good."

"We need to find a way out of here," Projectra moved closer to the doors, "can't you kick it down? You are Karate Kid, after all…wait," she pressed her ear against the door, "I hear something…something clicking-!"

The doors slid open and she found a gun to her face. "Move back, princess," the assassin edged her back as she put her hands up, "don't worry, you'll be leaving soon."

The other assassin stood behind him, his hand still covering Brainy's mouth. "Let's get moving before the others return. We take Brainiac 5 and the princess and get back to the ship." He pulled a large flat disk off his back. "With this new warping device we can be back to headquarters in less than a few seconds."

"…Before you do," she pointed behind them, "you'll have to deal with her."

The assassins turned at the sounds of footsteps, and behind them stood Phantom Girl. "Hey," the assassin with the gun asked, "how did you get-"

 _Bam!_

Karate Kid kicked the gun out of his hand and then threw him into the hallway wall. Phantom Girl vanished as the assassin jumped out of the legionnaire's way, still holding Brainy. "An illusion!"

"Obviously," Projectra joined Karate Kid in the hallway, "you're dealing with one of Orando's most powerful illusionists."

"Then I'll be making off with my original target," he pressed a button on the disk and it began to glow a bright blue, "say farewell, Coluan."

Brainy struggled in his grip as the disk glowed. "No," Karate Kid flipped towards him, " _you_ should be saying farewell!" He got down in front of the assassin, and as Brainy ducked down he got to his hands and kicked the assassin back. The disk fell out of his hand and shut down as they stood up.

"A warp disk," Brainy picked it up as he rubbed his neck, "they must have taken it from the black market."

"How strange," Projectra thought for a moment, "why would they go for him rather than me? I would've thought that-"

The assassin by the wall jumped up and punched her, and as she fell he aimed his gun at Karate Kid and fired. Karate Kid fell to the floor as Brainy put a field over Projectra to protect her.

"Wrong person to protect," he shot at him and plowed him into the other assassin, "Ooh, ouch. I'm sure our client can clean that up."

He stepped over to Karate Kid and aimed the gun right for his head. "You, on the other hand, need only be _cleared_ away."

Princess Projectra got to her feet in time to see his finger slowly sliding the trigger back, a second from firing. "No," she felt her anger rise as her hands rose, " _don't touch him_!"

The assassin dropped the gun and put his hands to his ears as hideous monsters appeared through the walls and screeched at him. "No, stop," he stumbled back, holding his throat, "fire…water…I can't breathe…n-no…!"

He fell back, unmoving on the ground as the illusion disappeared. Projectra lowered her hands and quickly moved to his body, putting her hand against his neck.

"…No," she gasped, "I…my anger…"

 **Anger rises and falls like the waves, but beware such power, lest the sea crush you down and drag you away. Deep, I know, deep like the ocean XD Seriously, though, I'm taking a darker turn with this episode because of how serious the comics were about their relationship. Now it's time for Projectra to make a choice so bold it'll change the way Orando - and herself - lives FOREVER.**

 **Until the next chapter!**


	6. 06

"Ugh," Grimbor fell back against the tree and into unconsciousness. Phantom Girl stepped over to him, smiling. "Did he really think aiming a gun at us would be enough? Poor guy. Old age is really getting to him."

"Let's find XS and President Wazzo and get back to the cruiser," Saturn Girl helped pick him up, "Then we can finally save Orando from these rampant villains."

"I only hope Supergirl and the others are getting along as well as we are."

* * *

"Look what I found." Hunter dropped the legionnaires in the net in front of him as they stopped in a small chamber, where Esper and Tyr were examining an altar with five crystals floating about it. "An audience."

"Great, just keep them out of the way," Esper stepped onto the altar and sat cross-legged in the center of the crystals, "while I absorb their power." She closed her eyes and meditated as Tyr chuckled.

"Quiet, I need to focus."

"Of course."

"We can't let this happen," Supergirl whispered, "Dawnstar, spread your wings."

"But the net-"

"Is nothing compared to your wings, right?"

She smirked. Slowly her wings opened up, pressing against the net. "Hey, good idea," Bouncing Boy nodded, "but I can do that faster." He expanded his ball form until the net popped, freeing them.

Tyr turned back as Supergirl flew up him and grinned. "Howdy!" She then grabbed the front of his shirt and chucked him into the ground, knocking him out cold. Bouncing Boy bashed Hunter into the wall as Dawnstar towards Esper.

"Not so fast," the psychic opened her eyes and shot forth energy, sending Dawnstar back into the wall beside Hunter, "I'm not quite finished here."

"Yes, you are," Supergirl used her heat vision on one of the crystals, but it reflected back and hit Bouncing Boy, "oops."

"I'm good," he wobbled around, "but how do we stop her?"

Before she could come up with a good answer, a bright flash of light appeared right behind Esper, and suddenly Princess Projectra was standing between the crystals too, holding a silver disk. "Your highness," Dawnstar stood up, "why are you here?"

"To save my planet," she sadly gazed down at the disk, "and escape what I've done. I'm sorry, but you have to leave Orando…or rather, Orando has to leave. Forever." She pressed a button on the disk and kicked Esper off the altar. She hit the ground with a yelp. "Grab them, quickly."

Each legionnaire grabbed a villain and closed together as Projectra aimed the disk at them. "Thank you, for everything."

"Princess Projectra," Supergirl yelled, "what are you doing?!"

She gazed at them as the disk flashed. "Fighting."

* * *

"Karate Kid, get up!" He opened his eyes to find Phantom Girl over him. "Princess Projectra is gone!"

He sat up to find Brainy and XS examining one of the assassins. "…Is he…"

XS gravely nodded. "No pulse. If you or Brainy didn't do this, then it had to be…"

Karate Kid lowered his head in shame. Saturn Girl walked around the corner from the main console room. "Guys, they're back."

They flew to the room to find Supergirl and the others holding the Legion of Super-villains, Esper shivering. "She's been mentally affected by the crystals," Saturn Girl explained as they carefully tied them up with Grimbor, the President watching, "we'll need to take her in for examination."

"Tinya," Wazzo gasped, "the planet!" Everyone gazed out the window as Orando vanished – and behind it was a large ship with the Brainiac sigil on it. "Brainiac 5, is that…!"

"Orando has been warped to another dimension by Princess Projectra to keep her people safe from invasion," he explained as the ship neared their cruiser, "and Brainiac thinks we did it. And _no one_ takes a planet before he can gather samples and gets away with it."

Soldiers were flying out of the ship as a large laser was charging, aimed at the cruiser. "Legionnaires," Supergirl snapped them all to attention, "we've got one final hurdle here! Phantom Girl!"

"No problem." She phased them out through the window, leaving President Wazzo and Saturn Girl to guard the prisoners. "The sooner I can get home to my normal outfit the better."

"You will pay for removing Orando, Legion," Brainiac's voice boomed out into space from the ship, "you will join me now, Querl Dox."

"We didn't remove Orando," Brainy called back as Bouncing Boy bashed into robot after robot, "they removed themselves, and for their own good!"

Supergirl flew towards the laser as it was second from firing, plowing robots out of her way. She smashed the laser, shutting it down as XS and Dawnstar ran robots into each other. "Come out here and fight, Brainiac, you coward!"

Karate Kid and Brainy shoved robots back towards the ship as Brainiac stayed silent for a moment. "…Now is not the time. Soon, Querl Dox, you will see the error of your ways. For now, I have much more important tasks to attend to. You may rid yourselves of those…assassins." With that the ship camouflaged and blasted off.

"The robots," Phantom Girl warned as a dozen were still floating around, beginning to hum, "they're gonna blow!"

Bouncing Boy bopped Dawnstar back into Karate Kid and XS as Brainy shielded the group with a force field. Phantom Girl phased her and Supergirl out across by the ship as the soldiers exploded, leaving only minor fragments.

"I should have known," Brainy quickly inspected a chunk before it completely disintegrated, "They are a mix of mine and his technology, able to regrow, adapt or self-destruct on command. I'm beginning to fear he's thought of everything."

Supergirl found Karate Kid sadly gazing at where Orando has once been. "Don't blame yourself."

"I do not, but…I had hoped to help her control her emotions."

She smiled. "You may not be able to help her, but there are others you can help," she gestured to Brainy, "don't you think she'd appreciate that?"

He finally gave her a smile as they flew back to the cruiser. "It is my responsibility."

 **Orlando has vanished, the Legion of Super-villains and Grimbor have been apprehended, and the Dark Circle has come closer to nabbing Brainiac 5 as Brainiac 6 watches from afar. Things are getting to be a sort of cutting-it-close atmosphere for Supergirl and the other legionaries. And don't go thinking things are going to get any less strange...**

 **Until the next chapter!**


	7. 07

Karate Kid gazed out the window of the Legion Tower, overlooking New Metropolis as the sun shone. Dawnstar and Bouncing Boy passed him, lost in deep conversation until he was once again alone.

"…I know you are there. You can come out."

From across the wall walked towards him a superhero he had never seen before. She wore a blonde wig attached to a red suit that covered her head to toe, a long white stripe down the middle. As she stepped up to him her long red cape fluttered against the ground.

"I do not believe we have met," he said, "I am Karate Kid."

"Sensor Girl. I just joined."

"A pleasure." Karate Kid turned back to the window, hoping she would leave, but there was no movement from either of them. "…"

"What are you doing up here on your own?"

"Just thinking, I suppose. You?"

"Exploring," he couldn't tell if she was looking right at him or not, "and trying to find someone."

"Who?"

"A certain legionnaire that gave me some very helpful advice…that I was foolish not to follow. It cost me so much, and I had to place the people I love far away because of it."

"I don't understand. What do you mean? Who are you looking for?"

Sensor Girl leaned in close. "Karate Kid."

"…No," he felt as though he was dreaming, "Princess Projectra?"

"I told you to call me Projectra…though, you can't do that anymore," she moved back, "it's just Sensor Girl now."

"How? Why?"

"I owe the Legion more than I can ever pay. I hope to use my powers here to help fight Brainiac, to keep him from destroying the galaxy Orando once considered its home. My father is well and will continue to reign in that other dimension…but I've made my choice."

"Sensor Girl," he hoped to be looking into her eyes, "the Dark Circle assassin…did you…"

Her head lowered. "There was no other way to save you. I've…never really had the chance to just talk to someone like I did with you, and to see you on the ground like that, about to be…my anger got the better of me, and…my illusion…"

"…Our secret."

"…Thank you."

Happily Karate Kid allowed her to slip her hand into his own, and they gazed out the window together. From the end of the hall Saturn Girl watched, smiling before she left them to their own thoughts.

* * *

"I can't take not knowing anymore, Brainy!" Supergirl followed him around his lab as he put things back in their places. "Tell me what happened to Mon-el, please."

"Where did this sudden curiosity come from?"

She sighed. "After seeing how easily we lost contact with Orando…I'm afraid I'm not going to be able to keep my promise to him. Can you at least tell me how this lead poisoning happened?"

Brainy stopped by the counter and turned to her. "…This is just between you and me, got it?"

"Sure…oh, you mean, including Kal?"

"Especially Kal. Kara, before Superman made a big name for himself in Metropolis, he spent time learning more about his powers in Kansas."

"Duh."

He stared at her for a moment, contemplating what to say next. "…He's made mistakes. Big ones, not that we haven't, but…sometimes those mistakes have led to certain people having to put up with certain... _unwanted_ conditions."

Her eyes widened. "…You're trying to tell me that Kal caused Mon-el's poisoning."

"Mon-el was an explorer from the planet Daxam that landed on Earth but lost his memories. Kal thought he was a Kryptonian like him, but when he found out that he was invulnerable to kryptonite…he," he averted his gaze, "took drastic measures."

"He poisoned Mon-el, thinking he had tricked him."

"The only way to save him when he learned the truth was to send him to the Phantom Zone. He never found a cure. I'm sorry, Kara. He thought he was tricking him, an enemy. He was young and foolish and…in the end, there was nothing else he could do for him."

"…Oh…okay," she smiled and left the lab, "don't worry, I won't tell anyone, not even Kal…but you will work on a cure, won't you?"

He nodded. As the door closed behind her he turned to the dark corner of his lab. "She would have found out eventually."

"I know," Superman came up next to him, a sad expression on his face, "I should have been the one to tell her."

"It's fine. The cure will take a while, but so long as I have the right tools…"

He put a hand on his shoulder before leaving. As he flew down the hall Supergirl looked back from the other end.

"…I'll fix your mistake, Kal."

 **ROLL CREDITS**

 **And so the truth is finally revealed! Sensor Girl is Princess Projectra, and Kal-el was the one who poisoned Mon-el, trapping him in the Phantom Zone to save him. What does Saturn Girl know? How far will Brainy have to go to find the cure? Things will only become more intertwined as we move onto our next episode, "Due Payments", soon to come.**

 **Thanks for reading, and until the next episode!**


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